What sets Australian white coffee apart from a latte?

A Flat White, also called Australian White coffee, is a milk coffee that originated in Australia or New Zealand and uses less milk, thinner foam, and a stronger espresso base than a latte. Shops differ on the build: New Zealand baristas often pull a double ristretto, while Australian baristas tend to use a single espresso. It is normally served hot only.

In Front Street Coffee's standard, a latte uses a 300 ml ceramic cup with 40 g of espresso base and roughly 260 ml of milk plus foam. A Flat White cuts the milk volume and foam thickness, so the coffee flavor stays forward. Espresso blends for it are typically lightly roasted or medium roasted to keep sweetness and clarity in the cup.

In the espresso family, latte, cappuccino, and mocha are often mentioned, but Flat White is rarely discussed specifically. This milk coffee, originating from Australia or New Zealand, is known for using less milk, having thinner milk foam, and a stronger coffee taste. Starting from Front Street Coffee's production standards, this article provides a detailed comparison between Flat White and Latte in terms of cup size, espresso ratio, milk foam thickness, and flavor differences, and gives specific preparation parameters and milk frothing temperatures. It also explains the roasting choices for espresso beans and the suitable scenarios for several of Front Street's espresso blends, helping you find an espresso coffee solution that suits your taste.

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When it comes to espresso, most people think of classic drinks like latte, cappuccino, and mocha, while Flat White is rarely mentioned on its own. So what kind of coffee is it exactly? Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce the relevant knowledge about Flat White.

What is Flat White coffee? Flat White is a coffee beverage that originated in Australia, so it is also called Australian White coffee, though some believe its true origin is in New Zealand. Not only are there different claims about its origin, the methods of making Flat White also vary. Overall, Flat White is a milk coffee with a stronger coffee taste, less milk, and thinner milk foam. As for the espresso base, New Zealand baristas prefer to use a double ristretto, while Australian baristas tend to use a single espresso.

In addition, Front Street Coffee also learned that in Australia, Flat White is only served hot, because once ice cubes are added, this cup of Flat White loses its soul—the ice dilutes the overall strength, so from a certain perspective, making Flat White as a cold drink is equivalent to a latte.

How to distinguish Flat White from Latte? So how do you distinguish Flat White from Latte? The key is to look at the ratio of espresso in the two, because in fact every shop's Flat White and Latte recipes are not exactly the same. Here, taking Front Street Coffee's production as an example:

Front Street Coffee's Latte standard: use a 300ml ceramic coffee cup, 40g espresso base, and 260ml total milk plus milk foam. Milk foam thickness is about 1 cm (frothing level: milk filled to 5 parts froth to 7 parts milk foam).

Front Street Coffee's Flat White standard: use a 220ml glass, use 30g espresso, and 190ml total milk plus milk foam. Milk foam thickness is about 0.5 cm. (Frothing level: milk filled to 5 parts froth to 5.5-6 parts milk foam).

Differences: In terms of cup size, Latte is larger than Flat White; from the appearance, Latte's milk foam is slightly thicker, with a slight dome on the surface, while Flat White's milk foam is thinner and flat. In terms of flavor, Latte's milk flavor is more prominent, while Flat White's coffee flavor is clearer. So Australians often joke that Latte is coffee-flavored milk (essentially milk), while Flat White is milk-flavored coffee (essentially coffee).

How to make Flat White coffee? So how exactly do you make Flat White? And how do you make Latte? What coffee beans are suitable for making espresso? Next, Front Street Coffee will answer these one by one.

The equipment used by Front Street Coffee is the Flying Horse E98 espresso machine, with the following extraction parameters: Pressure: 9 bar Temperature: 94°C Time: 20~30 sec Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2 Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso) Extracted espresso amount: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)

Recommended milk-to-coffee ratio for Flat White Milk: whole fresh milk (Front Street uses Vitasoy fresh milk) Milk frothing temperature: 50-60°C (if the temperature is too low, the lactose in the milk cannot be fully expressed; if too high, it will destroy the protein in the milk and produce a gritty texture) Milk foam thickness: 5mm (1cm milk foam is used for Latte, 1.5cm thick milk foam is used for Cappuccino) Espresso amount: 40ml Milk amount: 140ml

And the ratio for making Latte is as follows:

Front Street uses the Flying Horse E98 espresso machine. Pressure: 9 bar Temperature: 94°C Time: 20~30 sec Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2 Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso) Extracted espresso amount: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)

Front Street uses double espresso when making Latte. The flavor performance of the coffee beans after extraction is: obvious fruity acidity, a faint berry aroma lingering, rich wine and chocolate flavors, and a comfortable sweet finish.

Milk: whole fresh milk (Front Street uses Vitasoy fresh milk) Milk frothing temperature: 50-60°C (if the temperature is too low, the lactose in the milk cannot be fully expressed; if too high, it will destroy the protein in the milk and produce a gritty texture) Milk foam thickness: 1 cm (thinner than 1 cm is Flat White, thicker than 1 cm is used for Cappuccino)

The above are the parameters used by Front Street Coffee when making Flat White and Latte. In addition, Front Street Coffee also notes that the espresso blend beans used by different coffee shops have different flavors, and the models of espresso machines also differ, so Latte will have subtle differences in milk-to-coffee ratio, bean selection, extraction parameters, and so on from shop to shop.

But overall, Latte is a drink made by adding a large amount of milk to espresso. Lattes made with different coffee beans have different flavors, lattes made with different milks also have different flavors, and even by adjusting the ratio of coffee to milk, different flavors can be presented.

What coffee beans to use for espresso Front Street Coffee mentioned above that espresso drinks are all made with espresso plus milk, so what determines the flavor direction of this cup of espresso is what coffee beans it uses. So what coffee beans should be used to make espresso?

Generally speaking, coffee beans used to make espresso must be suitable for espresso machines, so coffee that is too lightly roasted is not suitable for making Latte. The darker the roast, the stronger the coffee flavor of the Latte (caramel, bitterness). The lighter the beans, the more obvious the milk flavor of the Latte. Therefore, the roast level should be chosen moderately so that coffee and milk are better compatible.

Because espresso machines have a very distinct characteristic, which is that they amplify the original flavors of coffee beans, and lightly roasted coffee beans themselves have relatively prominent acidity. If extracted with an espresso machine, the acidity will be even more obvious, so coffee beans that are roasted too light are not suitable for making espresso. First, the flavor is difficult to release during extraction; second, it is prone to splashing and causing under-extraction.

For example, the Sunflower Warm Sun series currently used in Front Street Coffee's shop is Front Street's most proud blend creation so far, blended from Honduras Sherry coffee and Yirgacheffe sun-dried Red Cherry coffee. When mixed into milk, it highlights rich chocolate, caramel, and slightly tipsy flavors.

Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce the characteristics of this coffee bean!

"Front Street Specialty Blend Coffee Beans" is suitable for home/office and specialty community coffee shops. Colombian washed coffee beans + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans, with nutty, dark chocolate, and caramel flavor performance, and also provides a comfortable bittersweet taste. Paired with milk to make a Latte, it is smooth on the palate, latte art shapes are stable, and the roasting aroma is rich. Making a Dirty can not only present a beautiful layering, but also leave dark brown "tiger stripes" on the coffee surface.

"Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee Beans" is suitable for all types of coffee shops. Colombian washed coffee beans + Brazilian semi-washed coffee and a small amount of Robusta coffee beans, with nutty, cocoa, and caramel flavor performance. Compared with other espresso coffees, Front Street Commercial Blend uses the typical combination of Brazil and Colombia, then adds a small amount of Robusta, adding the finishing touch to the original flavor layers. The coffee shows complex nutty aromas such as toasted bread, almonds, and walnuts, with good crema fluidity and a low-acidity, mellow body. Coupled with its price advantage, it is undoubtedly the best choice for opening a shop.

"Best-selling espresso coffee bean recommendation—Front Street Classic Blend Coffee Beans" is suitable for beginners, those learning latte art, and specialty coffee shops pursuing a high-end positioning. Friends who want to learn latte art at home should buy Front Street Classic Blend. This is a medium-dark roast espresso recipe composed of three producing regions. Its design inspiration comes from the "Mamba" popular in ancient times, namely Mandheling and Brazil. In order to add aroma and crema, Front Street Classic Blend also contains a small amount of Robusta, thereby enhancing flavor intensity, so beginners can easily make espresso with golden crema at home.

Front Street's many baristas recommend this espresso moka pot coffee bean - Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Flavor: With soft fruity acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is on the lighter side.

For this blend, Front Street used a combination of Brazil and Yunnan. Front Street believes it tastes with soft fruity acidity and caramel sweetness, as well as nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is on the lighter side. This is because Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's: high altitude, large temperature difference between day and night, with a mellow-aroma flavor type, moderate acidity, rich and full-bodied taste, uniform beans, high oil content, and fruity aroma. Its quality and taste are similar to Colombian coffee. However, the flavor is still slightly lighter than Colombian. And coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. Therefore, these two coffee beans mixed together also have a good flavor, and this espresso moka pot coffee bean recommended by many baristas—Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans—is very cost-effective and suitable for espresso beginners and small coffee shops.

The above is the relevant content about Flat White compiled by Front Street, hoping to help coffee lovers who want to learn related knowledge, so that in the future they can choose espresso blend coffee beans that suit their own taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.